Seaside Heights: Runaway Elvises, a Kohr, and a Pooki...I mean Snooki
Now that Halloween weekend is upon us, we can probably close the book on summer 2010 once and for all. This was a crazy summer. For one thing, it was relentlessly hot, at least in the New York City area. For another, people inexplicably became obsessed with the MTV series Jersey Shore. It makes me sad that because of this show, people are going to associate a place I loved as a kid--Seaside Heights, New Jersey--with fist-pumping, muscle-bound morons, and Pooki or Snooki or whatever her name is.
Our family stopped going to Seaside Heights long before Jersey Shore came to be...for that matter, probably the last time I was there before I went back to take pictures this summer was in the late 1980s, before we even had MTV.
And you know what, not much has changed since then.
Seaside Heights is off exit 82 of the Garden State Parkway, a pretty rapid ride mid-week or off-season but a slow, torturous slog on a summer weekend. I definitely recommend doing what I did -- going on a Monday (July 12, to be exact, which shows you how behind I am in my blogging). Unfortunately, the New Jersey Transit train from Manhattan terminates at Bay Head, about 8 miles north of Seaside Heights, leaving a bus as the only option if you can't drive.
A mile-long boardwalk is the star of the show at Seaside Heights (not counting our friend Snooki). Just as it was when I was a kid, it is lined with greasy food stands (fried clams, fried Oreos, basically anything that could possibly be fried), seedy games-of-chance stands with huge stuffed animals as souvenirs (maybe the better term is "games-of-you-don't-stand-a-chance"), video arcades that are a throwback to the '80s (my personal favorite), and gift shops with wares that range from surprisingly cool crafts to tacky T-shirts ("Welcome to New Jersey, Now Go Home").
Lucky Leo has an entire block of the Seaside Heights boardwalk cornered. Would you trust a guy named Lucky Leo with your quarters?
Mmm...Kohr's. I was never the biggest fan of Kohr's soft ice cream, which originated in Coney Island in 1919 and has migrated to the Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia shores over the years. I always thought Carvel was much better. But...then Kohr's introduced peanut butter soft ice cream, which, when twisted together with chocolate, is absolutely incredible on a hot summer day.
Another tribute to Coney Island. Wait a minute...Shoot the *geek*? We all know the real thing is Shoot the Freak.
Somebody got New Jersey mixed up with Vegas, or Graceland, since I was last at Seaside Heights. Where did the obsession with Elvis come from? I think I'll pass on the Fried Elvis Sandwich, but if anyone is brave enough, please let me know how it tastes.
Then again, maybe it's all the alcohol. Seaside Heights is, how do we say it, a party kind of town, as that dreaded show on MTV demonstrates. I think this banner goes under the heading of "any excuse to drink."
There are several piers at Seaside Heights, each lined with arcades, amusement-park rides, and, um, fun houses.
Creeeee-peeeeey.
Call me Ishmael. Actually, please don't.
I've always loved the buccaneer-type rides. I'm the only one of anyone I know. They make everyone else sick. Almost every other type of ride makes *me* sick, but I can ride on the buccaneer all night and day. Go figure.
Of course, Seaside Heights is not just all Snooki and guidos and cheesy rides and carnival games you can't win. There's also a surprisingly nice beach...
...and a waterfront skyride, of all things...
...and you can't go home without...
Taffy! It's a Jersey Shore tradition, and the best friend of dentists who need to make their boat payments.
Stay tuned for my next post from Island Beach State Park, which is a few miles south of Seaside Heights, but a 180 degree difference in scenery and mood.
Our family stopped going to Seaside Heights long before Jersey Shore came to be...for that matter, probably the last time I was there before I went back to take pictures this summer was in the late 1980s, before we even had MTV.
And you know what, not much has changed since then.
Seaside Heights is off exit 82 of the Garden State Parkway, a pretty rapid ride mid-week or off-season but a slow, torturous slog on a summer weekend. I definitely recommend doing what I did -- going on a Monday (July 12, to be exact, which shows you how behind I am in my blogging). Unfortunately, the New Jersey Transit train from Manhattan terminates at Bay Head, about 8 miles north of Seaside Heights, leaving a bus as the only option if you can't drive.
A mile-long boardwalk is the star of the show at Seaside Heights (not counting our friend Snooki). Just as it was when I was a kid, it is lined with greasy food stands (fried clams, fried Oreos, basically anything that could possibly be fried), seedy games-of-chance stands with huge stuffed animals as souvenirs (maybe the better term is "games-of-you-don't-stand-a-chance"), video arcades that are a throwback to the '80s (my personal favorite), and gift shops with wares that range from surprisingly cool crafts to tacky T-shirts ("Welcome to New Jersey, Now Go Home").
Lucky Leo has an entire block of the Seaside Heights boardwalk cornered. Would you trust a guy named Lucky Leo with your quarters?
Mmm...Kohr's. I was never the biggest fan of Kohr's soft ice cream, which originated in Coney Island in 1919 and has migrated to the Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia shores over the years. I always thought Carvel was much better. But...then Kohr's introduced peanut butter soft ice cream, which, when twisted together with chocolate, is absolutely incredible on a hot summer day.
Another tribute to Coney Island. Wait a minute...Shoot the *geek*? We all know the real thing is Shoot the Freak.
Somebody got New Jersey mixed up with Vegas, or Graceland, since I was last at Seaside Heights. Where did the obsession with Elvis come from? I think I'll pass on the Fried Elvis Sandwich, but if anyone is brave enough, please let me know how it tastes.
Then again, maybe it's all the alcohol. Seaside Heights is, how do we say it, a party kind of town, as that dreaded show on MTV demonstrates. I think this banner goes under the heading of "any excuse to drink."
There are several piers at Seaside Heights, each lined with arcades, amusement-park rides, and, um, fun houses.
Creeeee-peeeeey.
Call me Ishmael. Actually, please don't.
I've always loved the buccaneer-type rides. I'm the only one of anyone I know. They make everyone else sick. Almost every other type of ride makes *me* sick, but I can ride on the buccaneer all night and day. Go figure.
Of course, Seaside Heights is not just all Snooki and guidos and cheesy rides and carnival games you can't win. There's also a surprisingly nice beach...
...and a waterfront skyride, of all things...
...and you can't go home without...
Taffy! It's a Jersey Shore tradition, and the best friend of dentists who need to make their boat payments.
Stay tuned for my next post from Island Beach State Park, which is a few miles south of Seaside Heights, but a 180 degree difference in scenery and mood.